inaudible

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪnˈɔdəbəl/ UK /ɪnˈɔːdəbəl/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
unable to be heard

Her reply was almost inaudible over the roar of the engine.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · unable to be heard faint imperceptible indistinct silent muffled

Opposites

audible loud perceptible

Word family

Forms inaudibly

Derived forms inaudiblyinaudibility

Related forms audible audio audition

Etymology

From Late Latin inaudibilis ('that cannot be heard'), from in- ('not') + audibilis ('audible'), from audire ('to hear').

inaudibilis Late Latin audire Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# inaudible

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ɪnˈɔdəbəl
**IPA (UK):** ɪnˈɔːdəbəl

## Meanings
1. unable to be heard

## Examples
- Her reply was almost inaudible over the roar of the engine.

## Synonyms
- faint
- imperceptible
- indistinct
- silent
- muffled

## Antonyms
- audible
- loud
- perceptible

## Derived Forms
- inaudibly
- inaudibility

## Related Forms
- audible
- audio
- audition

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: inaudibilis
- Root: audire

## Etymology
From Late Latin inaudibilis ('that cannot be heard'), from in- ('not') + audibilis ('audible'), from audire ('to hear').

## AI Etymology
inaudible comes from Late Latin inaudibilis ('that cannot be heard'), from in- ('not') + audibilis ('audible'), from audire ('to hear'). Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the adjective sense is "unable to be heard", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as audible, audio, and audition, and in derivatives such as inaudibly and inaudibility. Its semantic neighborhood includes faint, imperceptible, indistinct, and silent, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Late Latin inaudibilis and Latin audire.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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